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DictionaryflagellateWhipping
verb

flagellate

FLAJ-uh-layt/ˈflædʒəleɪt/

To whip or beat as punishment or penance.

The official uses a short leather lash to flagellate the offender.

Sober non-graphic historical disciplinary scene, two fully clothed adults: official swings a short leather lash toward the other adult's clothed back; clearly punitive setting, no blood, nudity, wounds or erotic framing.
Etymology
flagellLatinwhip, scourge
+ateLatinpast-participle ending

Latin flagellum, “whip,” supplied the verb “to scourge,” whose past-participle form underlies the English verb. The selected meaning preserves the literal action of whipping for punishment or discipline.

More examples

  • Some penitents flagellate themselves as an act of penance.
  • The captain ordered the sailor to be flagellated for disobedience.
  • The account describes guards flagellating prisoners as punishment.

Forms

flagellate · flagellates · flagellated · flagellating

flagellation noun — Whipping or beating as punishment or penance.

Similar words

whip
Emphasizes striking with a whip, not necessarily as punishment.
scourge
Suggests severe whipping, often in historical or religious contexts.
beat
Covers repeated blows with hands or objects, without specifying whipping.